com-prĕhendo (conp-; also com-prendo, very freq. in MSS. and edd.; cf. Quint. 1, 5, 21. In MSS. also comprae-hendo and compraendo, v. prehendo), di, sum, 3, v. a., to lay hold of something on all sides; to take or catch hold of, seize, grasp, apprehend; to comprehend, comprise (class. in prose and poetry).
I Prop.
A In gen.: quid (opus est) manibus, si nihil comprehendendum est? Cic. N. D. 1, 33, 92: (vulva) non multo major quam ut manu comprehendatur, Cels. 4, 1 fin. : cum (forfex) dentem comprehendere non possit, id. 7, 12, 1: mordicus manum eorum (elephantorum), Plin. 9, 15, 17, § 46: morsu guttura, Luc. 4, 727: nuces modio, Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: naves, to join one to another, fasten together , Liv. 30, 10, 5; cf.: oras vulneris suturae comprehendunt, Cels. 7, 4, 3: comprehendunt utrumque et orant, Caes. B. G. 5, 31: ter frustra comprensa manus effugit imago, Verg. A. 2, 794; cf. aures, Tib. 2, 5, 92: nisi quae validissima (ovis), non comprehendatur (sc. stabulis) hieme, let none but the strongest be kept in the winter , Col. 7, 3, 15 Schneid.: naves in flumine Vulturno comprehensae, assembled together, put under an embargo , Liv. 26, 7, 9; so id. 29, 24, 9; Suet. Tib. 38; id. Calig. 39: ignem, to take, catch , Caes. B. G. 5, 43; and in a reverse constr.: ignis robora comprendit, Verg. G. 2, 305; cf.: opera flammā comprehensa, Hirt. B. G. 8, 43; and: avidis comprenditur ignibus agger, Ov. M. 9, 234: loca vallo, Front. 2, 11, 7; and absol. : comprehensa aedificia, Liv. 26, 27, 3.—
B In partic.
1 To attack, seize upon in a hostile manner, to seize, lay hold of, arrest, catch, apprehend : aliquem pro moecho Comprehendere et constringere, Ter. Eun. 993; 836: tam capitalem hostem, Cic. Cat. 2, 2, 3: hominem, id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 4, § 14: nefarios duces, id. Cat. 3, 7, 16: Virginium, Liv. 3, 48, 6; cf. id. 1, 41, 1: praesidium Punicum, id. 26, 14, 7: hunc comprehenderant atque in vincula conjecerant, Caes. B. G. 4, 27; 5, 25: in fugā, id. ib. 5, 21.—Rarely of disease: comprehensus morbo, Just. 23, 2, 4; cf.: comprehensi pestiferā lue, id. 32, 3, 9.—Of places, to occupy, seize upon : aliis comprehensis collibus munitiones perfecerunt, Caes. B. C. 3, 46 fin. —*
b Of things, to intercept : -epistulas, Just. 20, 5, 12.—
2 To seize upon one, to apprehend him in any crime : fures, Cat. 62, 35.—With inf.: qui interesse concentibus interdictis fuerint comprehensi, Cod. Th. 16, 4, 5.—Hence,
b Transf. to the crime: nefandum adulterium, to discover, detect it , Cic. Mil. 27, 72: res ejus indicio, id. Clu. 16, 47.—
3 Of plants, to take root; of a graft: cum comprehendit (surculus), Varr. R. R. 1, 40 fin. ; so, in gen., Col. 3, 5, 1; 5, 6, 18; Pall. Jan. 13, 5.—
4 Of women, to conceive, become pregnant , = concipere: si mulier non comprehendit, etc., Cels. 5, 21 fin. —
5 Of a space, to contain, comprise, comprehend, include : ut nuces integras, quas uno modio comprehendere possis, Varr. R. R. 1, 7, 3: circuitus ejus triginta et duo stadia comprehendit, Curt. 6, 6, 24. —
6 In late medic. lang., of medicines, to combine : aliquid melle, Veg. Art. Vet. 6, 27, 1; Scrib. Comp. 88; 227 al.—
7 Of the range of a missile: quantum impulsa valet comprehendere lancea nodo, Sil. 4, 102.—
8 Of the reach of a surgical instrument: si vitium in angusto est, quod comprehendere modiolus possit, Cels. 8, 3 init. —
II Trop.
A To comprehend by the sense of sight, to perceive, observe, see (very rare): aliquid visu, Sil. 3, 408; and without visu: comprehendere vix litterarum apices, Gell. 13, 30, 10.—
B To comprehend something intellectually, to receive into one's mind, to grasp, perceive, comprehend; with abl.: si quam opinionem jam mentibus vestris comprehendistis: si eam ratio convellet, si oratio labefactabit, etc., if any opinion has already taken root in your mind (the figure taken from the rooting of plants; v. supra, I. B. 3.), Cic. Clu. 2, 6: omnes animo virtutes, id. Balb. 1, 3; id. N. D. 3, 25, 64: animo haec tenemus comprehensa, non sensibus, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 7, 21 sq.: omnia animis et cogitatione, id. Fl. 27, 66; cf. id. de Or. 2, 31, 136: aliquid mente, id. N. D. 3, 8, 21: aliquid memoriā, id. Tusc. 5, 41, 121: qualis animus sit vacans corpore, intellegere et cogitatione comprehendere, id. ib. 1, 22, 50: aliquid certis signis, Col. 6, 24, 3: aliquid experimentis assiduis, Pall. 2, 13, 8.—Without abl.: esse aliquid, quod conprehendi et percipi posset, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 6, 17; 2, 6, 18: virtutum cognitio confirmat percipi et conprehendi multa posse, id. ib. 2, 8, 23; 1, 11, 42.—
C To comprehend or include in words; to comprise in discourse or in writing, to express, describe, recount, narrate , etc.: breviter paucis comprendere multa, Lucr. 6, 1082; cf.: breviter comprehensa sententia, Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 20; Quint. 9, 3, 91: comprehendam brevi, Cic. de Or. 1, 8, 34: perinde ac si in hanc formulam omnia judicia conclusa et comprehensa sint, id. Rosc. Com. 5, 15: (Cato) verbis luculentioribus et pluribus rem eandem comprehenderat, id. Att. 12, 21, 1: ipsa natura circumscriptione quādam verborum comprehendit concluditque sententiam, id. Brut. 8, 34: in eā (terrā) enim et lapis et harena et cetera ejus generis sunt in nominando comprehensa, Varr. R. R. 1, 9, 1: emplastra quoque, quae supra comprehensa sunt, Cels. 5, 27, 3; so absol. : ad veterum rerum nostrarum memoriam comprehendendam impulsi sumus, Cic. Brut. 5, 19: aliquid dictis, Ov. M. 13, 160: quae si comprendere coner, id. Tr. 5, 2, 27. —
2 Poet.: aliquid numero, to number, enumerate : neque enim numero comprendere refert, Verg. G. 2, 104; Ov. A. A. 2, 447; cf.: numerum quorum comprendere non est, id. Tr. 5, 11, 19.—
D To comprehend any one in affection, to bind to one's self, to put under obligation, to embrace with kindness (rare; mostly in Cic.): multos amicitiā, tueri obsequio, etc., to have many friends , Cic. Cael. 6, 13: adulescentem humanitate tuā, id. Fam. 13, 15, 3: quod omnibus officiis per se, per patrem, per majores suos totam Atinatem praefecturam comprehenderit, id. Planc. 19. 47.—
E To shut in, include (late Lat.): spiritum in effigiem, Lact. 4, 8, 9: elementorum figurae humanā specie comprehensae, id. 2, 6, 1.